EU Begins Historic Accession Talks with Ukraine and Moldova
The Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmitro Kuleba, praised on Friday the European Union's decision to start negotiations on Tuesday regarding the accession of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, according to dpa, cited by Agerpres.
"This is a significant day for Ukraine, Moldova, and the European Union. All 27 EU member states have approved the negotiation frameworks, and practical discussions about EU accession are scheduled to begin next week," Kuleba stated on X.
"Ukraine's journey up to today has not been easy, involving a revolution and a war. However, thanks to the courage of the Ukrainian people, we have not allowed anyone or anything to divert us from our historic trajectory. Ukraine has also set a record by moving from the request for EU accession to the start of negotiations in just over two years, faster than any other candidate in history," said the Ukrainian Foreign Minister.
He emphasised that this achievement was made without "concessions." "Ukraine has diligently fulfilled all the requirements and implemented critical reforms to make this historic day possible. We accomplished this despite waging a full-scale war for our survival," he said.
In turn, President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the planned opening of the negotiations for Ukraine's accession to the EU next week. "We eagerly await next week, June 25, when Ukraine and the EU will hold the first intergovernmental conference, marking the effective start of the negotiation process," Zelensky stated on X, celebrating the realisation of a "European dream."
Translation by Iurie Tataru
